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Small RCT in Russia with 45 high dose vitamin D patients (50,000IU/wk for 2 wks followed by 5,000IU/day) and 46 low dose patients (2,000IU/day), showing lower cases and lower symptomatic cases with high dose treatment.
risk of symptomatic case, 94.6% lower, RR 0.05, p = 0.002, treatment 0 of 38 (0.0%), control 9 of 40 (22.5%), NNT 4.4, relative risk is not 0 because of continuity correction due to zero events (with reciprocal of the contrasting arm).
risk of case, 41.5% lower, RR 0.58, p = 0.10, treatment 10 of 38 (26.3%), control 18 of 40 (45.0%), NNT 5.4.
Abstract: nutrients
Article
Vitamin D Intake May Reduce SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Morbidity in Health Care Workers
Tatiana L. Karonova 1, * , Alena T. Chernikova 1 , Ksenia A. Golovatyuk 1 , Ekaterina S. Bykova 1 ,
William B. Grant 2 , Olga V. Kalinina 1 , Elena N. Grineva 1 and Evgeny V. Shlyakhto 1
1
2
*
Citation: Karonova, T.L.; Chernikova,
A.T.; Golovatyuk, K.A.; Bykova, E.S.;
Grant, W.B.; Kalinina, O.V.; Grineva,
E.N.; Shlyakhto, E.V. Vitamin D
Intake May Reduce SARS-CoV-2
Infection Morbidity in Health Care
Workers. Nutrients 2022, 14, 505.
https://doi.org/10.3390/
nu14030505
Academic Editor: Roberto Iacone
Received: 29 December 2021
Accepted: 21 January 2022
Clinical Endocrinology Laboratory, Department of Endocrinology, Almazov National Medical Research
Centre, 194021 Saint Petersburg, Russia; arabicaa@gmail.com (A.T.C.); ksgolovatiuk@gmail.com (K.A.G.);
bykova160718@gmail.com (E.S.B.); olgakalinina@mail.ru (O.V.K.); grineva_e@mail.ru (E.N.G.);
shlyakhto_ev@almazovcentre.ru (E.V.S.)
Sunlight, Nutrition, and Health Research Center, San Francisco, CA 94164-1603, USA;
williamgrant08@comcast.net
Correspondence: karonova@mai.ru; Tel.: +7-921-310-60-41
Abstract: In the last 2 years, observational studies have shown that a low 25-hydroxyvitamin D
(25(OH)D) level affected the severity of infection with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). This
study aimed to analyze the potential effect of vitamin D supplementation in reducing SARS-CoV-2
infection morbidity and severity in health care workers. Of 128 health care workers, 91 (consisting
of 38 medical doctors (42%), 38 nurses (42%), and 15 medical attendants (16%)) were randomized
into two groups receiving vitamin D supplementation. Participants of group I (n = 45) received
water-soluble cholecalciferol at a dose of 50,000 IU/week for 2 consecutive weeks, followed by
5000 IU/day for the rest of the study. Participants of group II (n = 46) received water-soluble
cholecalciferol at a dose of 2000 IU/day. For both groups, treatment lasted 3 months. Baseline serum
25(OH)D level in health care workers varied from 3.0 to 65.1 ng/mL (median, 17.7 (interquartile
range, 12.2; 24.7) ng/mL). Vitamin D deficiency, insufficiency, and normal vitamin D status were
diagnosed in 60%, 30%, and 10%, respectively. Only 78 subjects completed the study. Vitamin
D supplementation was associated with an increase in serum 25(OH)D level, but only intake of
5000 IU/day was accompanied by normalization of serum 25(OH)D level, which occurred in 53%
of cases. Neither vitamin D intake nor vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency were associated with a
decrease in SARS-CoV-2 morbidity (odds ratio = 2.27; 95% confidence interval, 0.72 to 7.12). However,
subjects receiving high-dose vitamin D had only asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 in 10 (26%) cases; at the
same time, participants who received 2000 IU/day showed twice as many SARS-CoV-2 cases, with
mild clinical features in half of them.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; vitamin D; 25(OH)D; health care workers
Published: 24 January 2022
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